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precedere

to precede

verb preh-CHEH-deh-reh Less Common

Origin: From Latin praecedere (to go before).

Usage Note

Precedere uses avere in compound tenses (ha preceduto). It means to come before in time, order, or rank. The related adjective precedente (preceding, previous) is very common: il giorno precedente (the day before). Do not confuse precedere with procedere (to proceed, go forward).

Examples

"Un lungo silenzio ha preceduto la sua risposta."

Natural Translation

A long silence preceded his answer.

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